.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers ladies's university baseball as well as the WNBA.Recently dealt with UConn and also the WNBA Connecticut Sun for the Hartford Courant.Stanford graduate as well as Baltimore indigenous with further encounter at the Dallas Early Morning Updates, Seat Times and Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Elder Article Writer Co-author, Pro Baseball Program set.Formerly a specialist with the Indiana Pacers.Cultivated WARP rating and also SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo global rivals are going to meet again on Friday, as the United States girls's baseball staff goes up against the Australian Opals along with a place in the 2024 Paris Video games' gold medal suit on the line.Team USA, which is actually riding a touch of 59 consecutive Olympic success, advanced to the semifinals with an 88-74 overcome Nigeria on Wednesday. Adhering to a dismayed reduction to Nigeria in their Olympic opener, the Opals have actually strung together three upright success, featuring Wednesday's 85-67 quarterfinal choice over Serbia.Editor's Picks2 RelatedWhile the U.S. girls have been the gold specification for basketball around the planet, succeeding 7 consecutive Olympic gold awards as well as 9 general, Australia has actually been a historical powerhouse alongside them. The Opals have medaled in 5 of the past 7 Summer Gamings, take away three silvers and two bronze, although their semifinal run in Paris marks the first time they have actually improved past the quarterfinals considering that the 2012 Greater london Gamings.2012 likewise was the final time the legendary Lauren Jackson suited up on the Olympic phase for the green and gold-- previously. While Group United States has 42-year-old, six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, the Opals have Jackson, 43, showing up in her 5th Video games and to begin with in 12 years. Jackson has actually constantly medaled in the competition, as well as though she has viewed restricted activity so far in France, she has an odds to carry on that touch this weekend.Australia-- which boasts 6 active WNBA gamers-- possesses loads of momentum, yet the Opals are actually 0-20 perpetuity versus the united state senior national crew, featuring 0-8 in Olympic competitors. During the course of the 5 Games in which they medaled, Australia shed to the united state either in the semifinals or even the gold award competition. The teams final satisfied in 2020, when the Americans prevailed 79-55. ESPN's Alexa Philippou as well as Kevin Pelton break down a number of the pressing questions moving right into the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart credit reports Jackie Youthful for jump-starting Staff USABreanna Stewart chats along with Brian Windhorst after Crew U.S.A.'s 14-point win over Nigeria to evolve to the semifinals.Team U.S.A. shifted up its beginning five versus Nigeria, along with Jackie Youthful in place of Diana Taurasi. Carried out the move fix its own problems in the backcourt?Philippou: Starting Young in place of Taurasi-- who possessed last come off the seat at the Olympics in 2004-- was actually the appropriate technique. Along with 15 aspects versus Nigeria, Young seems carving out a task as Staff U.S.A.'s 3rd scorer responsible for A'ja Wilson as well as Breanna Stewart. (Without A Doubt, Young is the merely other U.S. player averaging dual figures at 10.3 factors per video game.) Young, among three Las Vegas Aces players in the beginning five, displayed her 3-point shooting previously versus Germany, going 5-of-8. But while she went scoreless from deep on Wednesday, it was her potential to get downhill and also hit from midrange that stood out, along with her trademark defense in the backcourt. It took till the middle of the 2nd fourth for the U.S. to truly place its foot on the gasoline versus Nigeria, yet Young's aggressiveness and energy on both ends ought to remain to pay dividends. And Taurasi appeared to perform effectively off the seat, where she stepped up as a company with 4 assists.Pelton: I will adore to see starting point player Chelsea Gray be a danger to rating. She missed all 3 of her try attempts in the quarterfinals, carrying Gray to 1-of-13 up until now throughout the Olympics. Extremely, the USA outscored Nigeria by just 2 aspects in Gray's 17:27, while all 4 other starters had a plus-minus of plus-17 or even better while on the court.Still, as I discussed in our final roundtable, the U.S. girls can easily overcome one non-scorer in the starting 5 as long as she is carrying another thing to the table. And Gray is with her playmaking, having today completed 22 helps versus only 3 turn overs. So, I don't presume instructor Cheryl Reeve needs to have to create additional changes.Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty ImagesWhat concerns carry out the Australians position, as well as what could possibly create all of them a challenging matchup?Top stories of the week coming from Obtain exclusive accessibility to lots of premium short articles a year from top writers. u2022 Solak: Fascinating NFL QB sophomore course "u2022 MLB: Epic AL MVP fight, other honors "u2022 25 most important players in CFP nationality" Even more ESPN+ material ".Philippou: WNBA enthusiasts will definitely be actually well aware of this Opals squad, which features the Seat Tornado's Ezi Magbegor and Sami Whitcomb, Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Smith, Los Angeles Sparks' Stephanie Talbot, Washington Mystics' Jade Melbourne and Indiana High temperature's Kristy Wallace, plus New york city Freedom trainer Sandy Brondello at the helm. Certainly not only carry out the Opals possess the skill to compete against Crew U.S.A.. They possess energy and resolve observing their frustrating start to the Olympics. Brondello has been actually felt free to with her staff's grace and grit over the past week, pair of high qualities an opponent needs when dealing with the Americans.The Opals, whose balanced strike boasts five gamers averaging a minimum of 8.0 PPG, can harm foes inside with Magbegor as well as Smith yet likewise from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is the most ideal in the Olympic area and a lot more than Crew USA's puny 30.8%. Whitcomb and also Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champion while with the Sin City Aces, lead the team with 8 and also seven treys, respectively.Pelton: On paper, Australia is much deeper and more accomplished than any type of team in the business except for the united state women. Our team can dispute the best worldwide player at the Paris Games, along with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) as well as Satou Sabally (Germany) as solid applicants. However no group possesses a set of players like the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor and Johnson, both of whom would possess gotten on my WNBA All-Star team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was certainly not named to the staff this period despite comparable development.) As well as no group outside the USA possesses nearly as much WNBA knowledge throughout its own roster.Given all that talent, it was actually stunning when Australia lost its own opening activity to Nigeria then barely beat winless Canada. In their past pair of games, our experts've viewed the Opals we anticipated, as they beat outdoed France to advance to the knockout phase and led Serbia by as several as 28 in an askew quarterfinal victory.A' Ja foods to Stewie for 3. LeBron authorizes. U.S.A. Network and Peacock pic.twitter.com/yI8kbWNUpsu2014 NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024 Can easily any individual cease Breanna Stewart and A'ja Wilson?Pelton: No. Yet if anybody is mosting likely to contain them, it's the duo of Magbegor and also Johnson. Australia's article players rate second (Magbegor, 2.4) and 4th (Johnson, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks per video game and also have the mobility to speak up for Stewart as well as Wilson on the border. Magbegor is particularly experienced against both enemies, having actually faced Stewart in practice for three years as Hurricane teammates as well as paired up with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The most significant hurdle for Magbegor as well as Smith is filthy trouble. Magbegor grabbed 3 first-half fouls versus Canada, as well as Smith possessed 2 in the initial fourth versus France, confining their moments. Data backup George is a challenging, skillful gamer (she racked up 18 aspects in 24 moments against Serbia) yet no place near as athletic on defense.Philippou: Pelton raises an authentic worry. However offered the take in Stewart as well as Wilson contend this stage-- Stewart is opting for her third Olympic gold and also Wilson her second, while Magbegor and Smith are actually seeming in their very first Video games-- I will expect the Group USA super duo to create the winning participates in required in such a high-pressure circumstance to development to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France and also Belgium will be a more durable challenger for Group USA?Pelton: I'm choosing Belgium, which provided the USA girls their toughest Olympic test however. The Americans dominated through 13 points, although the scope was actually simply seven getting into the fourth quarter of a group stage game played in Lille, France, near the borderline along with Belgium. All this even with Belgium going simply 5-of-27 in 3-point capturing, with Julie Vanloo particularly straining from downtown while skipping 10 of her 11 efforts. On Wednesday, the Mystics point guard went 3-of-5 coming from 3, racking up thirteen aspects along with 7 assists (albeit with nine turnovers) as Belgium travelled past Spain, the just various other group besides the united state that was unbeaten in pool play.Philippou: As the bunch nation along with the group on its own edge and a lot of pleasure on the line, a tough defensive crew in France would not be actually a pushover, either, particularly if Marine Johannes can go off like she did against Germany with 24 aspects off the seat as well as with Gabby Williams breaking the ice on each ends.Has Crew U.S.A. played its own best baseball yet?Philippou: In-game uniformity, particularly on offense, can still be actually a concern. There are actually times when the shortage of playing time with each other or even Reeve's tweaking along with rotations/combinations is actually still obvious. After all, there is actually a reason that Sue Bird recently mentioned on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that U.S.A. Basketball is actually the most annoying basketball she has ever played. After a little a sluggish start, the U.S. eventually led through 30 in the 3rd one-fourth versus Nigeria, but Reeve couldn't have actually liked just how her team made it possible for the D'Tigress to make it a 14-point activity just before the final buzzer. With four activities, the Americans' absence of 3-point firing have not definitely been actually solved, which might be a problem if rivals fume from deep.Team USA can not overlook any one of the staying crews in the field, but along with a defensive identification and also aggressive expertise led by Stewart and also Wilson, it has presented it can easily place activities away when it needs to, something that ought to transmit over in to the ultimate two games.Pelton: On the other hand, I think the capturing is actually also reason to think there's one more equipment for the U.S. females. Jointly, the 12 players on the roster have integrated to fire thirty three% on 3-point attempts in the WNBA this season. That will not get a "Sprinkle Sisters" nickname any time quickly, but it's likewise much better than Crew United States has taken care of coming from the briefer 3-point line in FIBA play.Taurasi (1-of-7) and Jewell Loyd (2-of-10) are outstanding to warm from long array. Watch out if they ultimately do.